Drama Queen: LiveJournal Announcement: LiveJournal Major Notes: Shopping fix, Purge update, ONTD

Thursday, May 6, 2010

LiveJournal Announcement: LiveJournal Major Notes: Shopping fix, Purge update, ONTD_AI!

news

We're delighted that so many of you have graciously offered to join our dedicated family of beta testers. Our community care team has invited around 20 new volunteers to participate in our next beta release. We thank you, again, for helping us make LiveJournal better! Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Frank is celebrating May babies. If you were born this month, shoot us a high five in the comments below, and Frank will send you a candy necklace!

Important stuff to know:

Billing issue: We're aware that some of the orders placed in the LiveJournal shop last weekend were not properly delivered (e.g., Userpic add-ons did not get credited after purchase and vgifts were not sent). We're happy to report that we successfully resolved this issue earlier this week, and all orders should now be processed. Thank you for your patience!
Purge update: A number of you have been asking when we'll start purging suspended accounts. The quick answer is we're still working out the technical details to make sure we get it right. We'll be sure to let you know when it's time to buy those rename tokens.

ontd_ai turns one!

We want to extend a very happy birthday to

ontd_ai! Founded on May 15, 2009,

ontd_ai was created as a spin-off of

ohnotheydidnt, a place where American Idol fans could be "as crazy and ridiculous as possible," reports maintainer

soresubject. "After making a few headlines for crazy behavior on MTV.com, we started Twitter trending revolutions on everything from talented Idol contestants that haven't been signed to disgust with homophobia, which evolved into a powerful and universal message that took on a life of its own: #dontstopbelieving. And then there was our baby: charity. What started as a simple contest to show our appreciation for Adam Lambert spiraled into a remarkable event that forever changed our standards. No longer were we trolling the dungeon. Since last summer, we raised over $125,000 for various causes. We've given students the instruments, opportunities, and material to learn powerful skills. We've helped Haiti heal after their devastating earthquake. We've put shoes on children's feet, food on families' plates, helped doctors in their fight to find a cure for cancer, and so much more. As a community, we have gone through a lot in 12 intense months, but one thing that will never change is our love of helping others. This has been an amazing year, a crazy year, and a life-changing year. Fans are terrified of us and Idols have no idea what to make of us. If our wild gif spams don't scare you off, then come help us create a second year of epic. We'll be holding a contest next week to choose a vgift, which LiveJournal will sell to raise money for a charity our members will select. We hope you'll participate and thank you for your lulz, love, and support!" We, at LiveJournal, wish all of the fabulous, feminine benches at

ontd_ai a blowout birthday bash and a tremendous second year!

We've got milk and cookies for our paid users!

If you have a paid or permanent account, you can send five free afternoon snacks through Monday, May 10th at 4pm, PDT! You'll see both the free and the $0.99 cookies displayed until your friends have had their fill. Please send only one at a time. In other words, you'll need to complete check-out and start a new order for each tasty snack you send. If you're not receiving vgifts (from friends and/or Frank), you may have disabled them. To enable vgifts, visit Edit profile (under Profile), scroll down to the bottom of the page, and check your settings. Naturally, the milk also comes in rice or soy, and the sandwich cookies are organically delicious, vegan, and gluten-free! Enjoy!

For our featured photo and more fun with Frank & Meme, we'll catch you under the cut!

Photo of the week

Congrats to garbouz, who won our 21st lj_photophile poll. Click here to vote for next week's photo of the week!

Don't be shellfish!

When we last joined our sweethearts, Frank was tripping the light fantastic toward the emergency room exit, while Meme was debating whether to adjourn the lunch date with Alpha D. Stein, pomeranian at law. Having consulted with LiveJournal counsel, Meme concluded that Frank was in no condition to discuss a potential lawsuit, while she, on the other hoof, was ready to talk turkey. Meme seized hold of Frank's wheelchair and whooshed him to Nurse Chi Wa-Wa's station: "This patient is in no condition to leave. I will be back to get him in a few hours."

"Wee, weee!" Frank bahhed excitedly at the joy ride.

"Oui, oui! Si, si!" The cheerful chi-poo replied, gleefully whirling Frank around.

Meme and Alpha trotted off to a popular cafe, the Roar Bar, renowned for its organic cusine. Meme ordered the Scoop du Jour, a delectable sundae of fruity tofutti topped with caramelized granola. Alpha, on the other paw, got the Sloop du Jour: "plucked fresh off the boat," which Alpha assumed would be chicken. Revitalized by a shot of aloe, Meme got straight to the point: "Alpha, I am not sure if I wish to pursue a lawsuit against Dr. Fox. For starters, I am concerned that your prior relationship with Dr. Nan might prove problematic. In addition, I am not interested in a nasty, protracted trial. If you believe we can settle quickly out of court, I am listening. If this is going to turn into a legal circus, however, I must decline for the sake of my emotional well-being. I hope you understand."

Alpha nodded, unaccustomed to such forceful elocution outside the courthouse. Stalling to build her rebuttal, Alpha heaped a fork of flesh to her lips and swallowed. "No, no!" She exclaimed fiercely.

Meme continued to eat her tasty dessert, waiting for a more substantial counter-argument. But when she looked up from her dish, she saw Alpha pulling at her diamond collar and retrieving a pointy instrument from her briefcase. "Quick!" She yelped. "Jab this into my thigh! I am ... allergic ... to shellfish," she eeked out before fainting to the floor. Meme rushed over and thrust the needle into Alpha's limb. Alpha jolted up for an instant and gasped for air. "Thank you," she muttered, grasping hold of Meme's hoof and then falling into a deep sleep.

"Hurry, call an ambulance!" Meme hollered, a rush of affection washing over her as she clutched the sick pomeranian's dainty paw. Meme then accompanied Alpha back to the hospital, where Frank was waiting.

"You know, I don't appreciate you leaving me stranded, like you did today," Frank confronted her soberly. "Let's get out of here. I've had quite enough of these dog tricks."

Meme is now caught in a tailspin, unsure whether to follow her goat instinct and wait for Alpha to recover or take Frank home. Let her know what you think, and she'll toss you a bone.